Page 39 of Little Dark Deeds

CHAPTER 16

As more customers andreal estate agents slipped in and out of the office, Tyler’s discomfort level grew.To keep the conversation going, I suggested the two of us finish talking within the safe confines of my car.He hesitated at first, but he also seemed to understand I wasn’t leaving until my questions were answered.

He slid into the seat beside me, downing a bottle of water he’d brought along, which he tossed on the floor like he hadn’t been raised with a stitch of manners.

I wasted no time digging in.

“Where were you when Tiffany died?”I asked.

“Taking down a couple real estate signs and putting a new one up at one of my listings.”

“Did anyone see you?”

“I’m sure they did.If I need an alibi to prove my innocence, I shouldn’t have a problem getting one.”

I switched subjects.

“I’m unclear about what your intentions were with Tiffany,” I said.

“In what way?”

“Inallways.”

“Can you be more specific?”

I could.

I just wasn’t sure he was ready for it.

“Not disclosing the fact that you’re married means you deceived her from the start,” I said.“Tiffany was a charming, wonderful woman, but sometimes she could be a bit too trusting, a trait certain men picked up on when they dated her.She’d been taken advantage of more than once by the guys she dated—including you.”

“It was never my intention to deceive her.I felt awful about it from the start.”

“I did an internet search of your name this morning.It took me all of three minutes to find something that confirmed you’re married.It would have been easy for Tiffany to do the same.I’m guessing she didn’t because she trusted you.She believed in you.Whether you’re guilty or innocent of her murder, you let her down, and I can’t forgive you for that.”

He ran a hand through his hair.“I know I wasn’t straight with her.I’ve agonized over it for months.”

“If you’ve been in agony, you brought it on yourself.In the end, she would have figured it out, and if she didn’t, I would have figured it out for her.”

“It’s not like I didn’t want to tell her the truth.Icouldn’t.”

“I disagree.”

“I thought if I told her, she wouldn’t give me a chance, giveusa chance.So, yeah, I withheld that information.Days turned to weeks and then months, and the weight of it kept getting bigger.I’d wake up each morning fearing it would be the day she’d discover my secret.I’d say to myself, ‘Today is the day you’re going to tell her.’The day would come and go, and at the end of it, I couldn’t bring myself to do it.”

It felt like we were running circles around the same topic—a past that couldn’t be changed—and there were far more pressing questions I still hadn’t gotten to yet.

“How did the two of you meet?”I asked.

“In the grocery store of all places.I was walking by, and I noticed she’d grabbed an armful of oranges.When she went to put them in her basket, most of them slipped out of her hands and onto the floor.I bent down to offer my help.We both leaned over at the same time and butted heads.After we had a good laugh about it, she stuck a hand out and told me her name.I gave her mine, and we shook hands.Then we started talking about what I did for a living.”

It would have made an adorable story.